Building Better Basketball

Join Lauren Jackson as she goes one on one with only the second female coach in NBA History and WNBA Championship winning Coach Becky Hammon. For more from the She Hoops Series make sure you are following their feed She Hoops on Apple Podcasts

Mike Thibault coached the Connecticut Sun and the Washington Mystics in the WNBA. In 2013, he became the WNBA's most successful all time coach with 212 victories. Lauren Jackson caught up with this ICON of the game to chat about his career, coaching philosophies and the sport he has dedicated his life to. For more from the She Hoops Series make sure you are following their feed She Hoops on Apple Podcasts

Thie week Neil is joined by Jacqui Dover who brings with her a celebrated career and wealth of knowledge and experience in the referee space. Beginning at the grassroots level with Gold Coast Basketball she’s gone on to referee in the NBL1 (formerly QBL), WNBL and is currently the only on court female referee in the NBL. Jacqui’s career has taken her around the world, notably spending 18 months in the United States at the NBA's referee development program. Along with this Dover recently officiated the Bronze Medal games at the Under 17-and 19-Women’s World Cup in Hungary and Spain respectively. As well as being part of the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in Sydney. Jacqui is determined to leverage her own experiences to encourage more people to take up refereeing as a valuable pathway within the sport and also offers a fascinating insight for coaches into the Officials mindset and process.

Usually, we would write a blurb here introducing Crystal Kaua. Crystal might be known to some of you as a coach that Codey Royle worked with in his Second Set of eyes book. She is a kiwi rugby coach but in this episode she covers so much that has nothing to do with rugby. Crystal has a very powerful coaching philosophy, a very strong sense of self as a female coach in a predominantly male sport and arguably the most though provoking answer to the Podcast question of what would you ask a coach. Enjoy.

Neil is joined by someone who fills a vital role in sport which is uncommon in Basketball currently but on the rise. A 3 time WNCL winning support staff member, a soon to be one time Sheffield Shield winning staff member hopefully, Emma Doherty is the player Development Manager for Cricket Tasmania and she is going to share with us some insight about her role and hopefully give you some ideas about areas we could investigate in basketball

His twin brother has been on the pod before he left our BA team for the Apple Isle and the Jackjumpers and he was someone I have been trying to get for a while! Now he is full time with BA as our Executive GM - High Performance & National Teams I finally managed to get 3 x NBl champion, 2005 NBL MVP, 2 time Olympian and former Boomers captain Jason Smith on the podcast. Jason is someone who is a very big supporter of coaching and coach development and has played a big part in the increased access we have been able to share with you in the recent years with the national teams when they are in Australia

Today is a bit of a special episode, Neil is joined by the 2023 Ford Aussie Hoops Coach of the year, Mackenzie Stewart from the Cockburn Cougars in Western Australia. I’m just going to include the section from the nomination form that got Mackenzie the award, and then you will hear my chat with her and hopefully you are as impressed as I am by a young lady with a very bright future in coaching basketball if she wants it. Mackenzie continues to focus on providing high quality programs that offer development of basketball skills, fundamentals and gameplay understanding for all junior skill levels. Meaning our programs meet both participation and performance needs for our community. She actively researches other sports introductory programs identifying new concepts, variety of coaching styles, different sporting contexts, training regiments, and social environments that may have a positive influence on our programs for our athletes. As Mackenzie continues her coaching pathway, she is invested in providing high quality leadership and mentoring to our developing coaches, ensuring opportunities for all and fosters a life-long support for the game. She is a harmoniously passionate coach, who ensures all participants experience happy emotions whenever she is involved in coaching the Aussie Hoops program. She has great satisfaction when she sees participants gradate from our Aussie Hoops programs into our Domestic Competition and other programs. As a dedicated volunteer, she aims to teach people how to play the game and compete. She recognizes there is a need to support other volunteers within our community with high quality, consistent, accessible coaching and upskilling. This is fundamental to the development of players, coaches, pathways in sport and of the game in Australia.

Neil is joined by Jarrod Moore, the Coach Development Manager from Basketball NSW. The discussion covers nurturing confidence, balancing development levels and the age old debate is there a difference between teaching and coaching!

In today's episode, we are thrilled to delve into the inspiring journey and expertise of Opal Sami Whitcomb, a dynamic force in the world of basketball. With an impressive career spanning both domestic and international arenas, Sami's unique insights, skillset, and dedication to the game make her a standout figure in the basketball community. Join us as we explore her experiences, insights, and the invaluable lessons she brings to the court, offering our listeners a wealth of knowledge for building better basketball skills and strategies.

Welcome back to season 4 of Building Better Basketball. Neil Gray Game Development Manager at Basketball Australia is joined by Tyrone Thwaites from the Cockburn Basketball Association in Western Australia. Cockburn are an association with 336 teams, the largest Aussie Hoops program in Australia for 2 years running and home to a Womens NBL1 Championship side and an NBL 1 Coach of the year who also happens to be their Chief executive Officer! No prizes for guessing that’s Tyrone!

Our first return guest on Building Better Basketball and he is back to talk about one of the biggest issue that coaches face, PARENTS! He has a fantastic new book out called the Sports Parent Solution and in this episode he dives into the questions, the solutions and the experiences in that book across the vast spectrum of parent involvement in the game. A must listen for any coach working with young athletes!

Todays guest is Mark Alabakov, the NBL1 Championship winning coach with the Bendigo Braves. Mark has also had significant involvement at the WNBL level with the Bendigo Spirit, Melbourne Boomers, Townsville Fire and the Sydney Uni Flames as they then were as well as an understanding of Basketball at the community level with Diamond Valley Basketball Association. On this episode, we'll talk about the incredible season Mark and the Braves have just had and the secrets behind the championship success.

Todays guest is David Herbert, the Centre of Excellence Women’s Program Head Coach. David has over 25 years of experience within the Basketball Australia pathways having coached in the NBL1, WNBL, National Junior Championships and as a national team's Head Coach. David is the current head coach of the Ballarat Miners NBL1 women’s team. David has received numerous coaching accolades including WNBL Coach of the Year, Coach of the Year Victoria and Queensland and the SEABL coach of the year

Todays guest is Nick Cox, the Director of Academy at Manchester United. Nick Cox is renowned for his commitment to developing a holistic approach to youth development, focusing not just on technical skills, but also on character, education, and personal growth. His dedication to building a strong foundation for the future of Manchester United has earned him the respect and admiration of football enthusiasts worldwide. Throughout his career, Nick has had the privilege of working with some of the brightest young talents in the game, shaping them into the stars of tomorrow. Under his guidance, Manchester United's youth teams have achieved remarkable success, with numerous players progressing to the first team and representing their countries at the highest level. On this episode, we'll delve into the intricacies of talent development, the challenges faced by young players, and the importance of creating a nurturing environment for them to thrive.

Georgia Koopmans is a current NBL1 Player, a 3 time Vic Country representative and two time captain, the new Helping Hoops Charity Shootout Champion and one of the most passionate Junior Coaches you will hear! Neil and Georgia talk about her comeback from a significant knee injury, her history with Helping Hoops and her amazing record breaking performance and her coaching philosophy working with young kids in country Victoria. Georgia also pays it forward with a question for our very own David Herbert in the traditional podcast question! Helping Hoops - Home - Helping Hoops

Neil is joined by the founder of Canberra’s only Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander focused Basketball Club the Winnunga Warriors. The club organises the NAIDOC Basketball Tournament as a way to create an awareness of NAIDOC week within the ACT Community and to also demonstrate how their club is committed to the motto of reconciliation in action. The 2023 Tournament will be held from 7 - 9 July 2023 and due to the size of the competition will be held at multiple venues around the ACT. Neil and Dion talk about the journey of the club, the success of the tournament and the learnings it brings the players and the families away from the court. They also discuss the needs for the tournament this year and the vision moving forward. A great listen for the passion of volunteering in community Basketball and the importance of understanding Naidoc week and its significance in Australia. Warriors Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/atsiwarriors.com.au ABC Canberra footage of the 2022 NAIDOC Tournament https://fb.watch/ehLFf-lZu1/ NBA player, Dyson Daniels, on playing with the Warriors https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cACnm15nACg

This weeks guest will be no stranger to you if you went and did the @asc Reflection Course last week. Lauren Robinson is coaching with @knoxbasketball at multiple levels including @nbl1 , @basketball_vic within the Wheelchair program and is leaving on Sunday in her role as manager with the @ausgliders . On top of that for a young coach she has an incredible amount of knowledge from her own studies. This is a great episode for coaches of all levels to get an insight on reflection and the coaching journey! Link to Aus Sport Reflection course- How you improve | Australian Sports Commission (ausport.gov.au) Link to etrainu resources https://basketballaustralia.etrainu.com/ Link to Mojo Coaching App Basketball Australia Community Coaches x MOJO = Game Changer | Basketball Australia Coaching Resource

We are recording this weeks podcast bang in the middle of National Volunteer Week (NVW) Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteers. The theme for National Volunteer Week 2023 is The Change Makers, representing a celebration of our power to drive change and ensure volunteering is inclusive of all members of the Australian community and celebrate, thank and recognise the significant contribution of the 3 million sport volunteers. To have a chat about that Neil is joined by Scott Tutton. Scott is currently the Head of Clubs and Volunteers at Cricket Australia. Originally a Sydney boy he has spent time with the ACT Government, Clubs NSW and Netball Australia before spending the last decade in cricket across Cricket Victoria and Australia. The main reason Scott is here though is due to his role on the Sport Australia, Sport Volunteer Coalition, a panel made up of experts from the sports industry, government and volunteering, who will work together to transform the sport volunteer experience and promote the value of volunteering in sport.

Lisa Alexander AM coached the Australia national netball team from 2011 to 2020. Alexander coached the Diamonds for 102 test matches, becoming the most capped Australian coach of all time. She oversaw gold medal successes at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2015 Netball World Cup. As Australian coach Alexander won 83 of her 102 test matches, an impressive 81% winning record. In this episode just sit back and listen to one of the best Australian coaches in any sport talk knowledgeably about mental health, success, player development, what she learned from Basketball and the deepest response to the "Ask the Coach" question we have ever had.

Ben was a determined but mediocre youth athlete and later a bench-warmer on his high school basketball and volleyball teams. But life got better when Ben gave up competitive sports. Most recently, he worked as co-chairman of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney ABC Television. Before that, he was president of ABC News and executive producer of Good Morning America. A bestselling author of four books, he is also an avid coach of his two boys in various sports. And that is where Ben's Australian story starts as the CEO of MOJO Sports. Mojo Sports are the newest partner of Basketball Australia and the creators of the exciting new Coach Development app free for all Basketball coaches in Australia. In the episode Neil and Ben run through all the amazing things the app can do to make a coaches life easier, improve the quality of practices, engage the players so in some cases they might want to practice more then play and help future coaches be volunteers instead of Voluntolds! You can download the app here, MOJO Sports on the App Store (apple.com) . Remember to set your State or Territory as your main organisation (e.g. Basketball Victoria) so you can receive all the relevant coaching news! MOJO FAQ’s | Basketball Australia